Box puff



Nov. 18, 1952 .c. H. GILBERT BOX PUFF Filed July 1, 1949 f 110 elder lhawlesfl aile i Patented Nov. 18, 1952 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE BOX PUFF Charles H. Gilbert, Brookline, Mass, assignor to Farrin'gton Manufacturing Company, Boston, Mass :a corporation of Massachusetts Application July 1, 1949, Serial-No. 102,531

1 Claim. 1

This invention relates to decorative inserts for boxes and particularly to box puff-s for insertion in a jewel box or the like. Box puffs commonly used include a sheet of decorative material such as satin or chenille mounted on a frame which holds the material in an attractive folded or puffed position. When inserted in the base, or more usually the cover of a jewel or watch display box, a puff serves to cover the unfinished interior surfaces of the box and protect the contents of the box from injury. However, it has been found difficult to make a box insert which will hold its proper position in the box with unfinished parts neatly covered and the decorative material held in a symmetrical puffed or billowed condition.

Objects of the present invention are to provide a pufi which will fit snugly in a box with the frame firmly hOlding its covering of decorative material in its proper position in the box, and are to provide a way of mounting decorative material on a frame so that the frame and uneven edges of the decorative material are concealed while the decorative covering is held in an attractive puffed or billowed shape with undesirable and irregular wrinkles eliminated. A further object is to provide a box puff of simplified construction which may be easily and economically manufactured and inserted in a box.

In one aspect the invention comprises a puff comprising a polygonal sheet or blank of semirigid material, for example stiff cardboard, the blank being provided with integral extensions at its side, each extension including a side wall portion adapted to be bent away from the blank and a flange portion at the end of the extension adapted to be folded to a position toward the back of the blank at approximately right angles to the plane of the blank, and a flexible sheet of decorative material which covers the front of the semi-rigid sheet. "Preferably the decorative covering is of the same outline as the polygonal blank and is attached at its circumference to the flanges on the front side of said blank. More specifically the blank is provided at its corners with V-shaped notches so that side walls, extending from the sheet and located between the edges of the notches, may be bent upwardly and outwardly to a position directed away from the plane of the blank with their ends abutting and with their upper edges strengthened by the flanges which are bent downwardly toward the plane of the blank, preferably perpendicular to said plane. The covering of decorative material is adapted to be puffed toward the central portion of the blank when said blank is folded.

In a further aspect the pun" is adapted to be inserted in a box having a base and sides, the width of the aforesaid flanges being chosen to approximate the depth of the box for which the puff is adapted so that the free edges of the flanges seat on the box to hold the folds between the flanges and the side walls in position adjacent the upper edges of the sides of the box. When sides of the box are provided at their upper edge-s with an inwardly turned lip the dimen.

sions of the flanges are chosen so that the puff is held firmly against the underside of the lip.

For the purpose of illustration a typical embodiment of the invention is shown in the ac.- companying drawing in which Fig. 1 is a plan view of a blank;

Fig. 2 is a plan view of the blank covered with a sheet of decorative material; I

Fig. 3 is a sectional view showing apparatus for attaching the decorative material to the blank;

Fig. 4 is an isometric view of a folded frame with the decorative material not shown; and

Fig. 5 is an isometric view of a puff inserted in a box, parts being shown in section.

One type of frame suitable for use with the present invention may be die cut from sheet cardboard in the blank form shown in Fig. 1. The blank is cut in generally rectangular form with notches 2 extending inwardly from the corners to form extensions 3 from a central portion 4 of the blank. Lines 6 are scored around the central portion of the blank and an opening 1 is provided at the center thereof if desired. The extensions 3 include side wall portions 8 and flange portions 9 separated by score lines H. A coating 12 of adhesive, preferably a thermoplastic adhesive, covers the blank entirely or at least in the region of the flanges 12.

As shown in Fig. 2 the front side of the blank I is covered with a flexible sheet of decorative material l3 which is generally of the same dimensions as the blank. The decorative covering l3 may be adhesively attached to the blank I by the use of the apparatus shown in Fig. 3 which includes a stud or bed I4, a die IS, a die punch l6 and a positioning gauge 20. The die I5 is heated so that the sheet adheres to the edges of the blank when the parts are pressed together by downward movement of the punch it. Although the blank may be entirely coated with adhesive, the covering l3 adheres only to the flanges 9. It is apparent that the method of attaching the decorative covering is made extremely simple by the improved structure of the pufi.

Preparatory to inserting the puff in a box cover or base, the blank I is folded in the shape of a frame as shown in Fig. 4, in which the decorative sheet is omitted to show the details of the folded blank. In this form the side walls 8 incline upwardly and outwardly from the central portion 4 of the blank with their ends abutting at the sides of the notches 2. The flanges 9 are bent downwardly from the upper edge of the walls approximately at right angles to the plane of the central portion 4 which lies in the plane of the original blank I.

When folded as shown in Fig. 4, the puff may be inserted in a box cover 11, such as that shown in Fig. 5, having sides [8 and a base [9. As shown the box I! is covered. with a decorative coating 2| of leather or the like. Preferably a channelshaped metal trimming 22 having an inwardly directed lip 23 telescopes over the upper edge of the walls 18 and leather coating 2|, although the trimming is not an essential part of the invention. The dimensions of the central portion 4 and. the side wall 8 of the frame I are chosen such that the span between the upper edges of the side walls is the same as the distance between the interior surfaces of the box sides, or of the trimming, if such is used.

According to the present invention the flanges 9 strengthen the upper edges of the side walls 8 and hold them in a straight line so that they do not warp intermediate the interior corners of the box. In addition the flanges and the margin of the decorative sheet [3 adhering thereto are concealed so that the ragged edges of the decorative material are not visible and so that any wrinkling of the decorative material at its margins is confined to concealed portions of the decorative sheet. This arrangement permits economical and easy attachment of the decorative sheet to the covered side of the blank only, thus eliminating the need for wrapping the covering over the edge of the blank and securing it thereunder. The sheet is flexed at the bend of the flange, thus tending to eliminate any continuation of wrinkles on the concealed margins onto the visible portion of the sheet. The width of the flanges is such that they will bear against the base of the box and is, of course, varied according to the dimensions of the box to be used. If, as shown in Fig. 5, the junction of the base and the sides is curved, the flanges will be supported on the curve so that the upper edge of the pufi is held snugly in position under the lip 23 of the trimming 22, or at the upper edges of the box if no trimming is used. The pufi described is rigid and holds its position in a box over a long period of time.

It should be understood that the present disclosure is for the purpose of illustration only and that this invention includes all modifications and equivalents which fall within the scope of the appended claim.

I claim:

A puff for insertion in a box comprising a polygonal sheet of semi-rigid material having intersecting score lines substantially parallel to the edges of the polygonal sheet to divide the sheet into a peripheral portion and a central base portion. the peripheral portion being divided into sections by corner notches extending inwardly substantially to said central base portion, each section having a score line extending parallel to its outer edge to divide it into an inner side wall portion and an outer flange portion, and a flexible sheet of decorative material of substantially the same size as said polygonal sheet and covering said sheet in face contact therewith, the material being attached to the polygonal sheet only along the faces of said outer flange portions.

CHARLES H. GILBERT.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,451,383 Wilson Apr. 10, 1923 1,780,011 Farrington Oct. 28, 1930 1,906,031 Wilmarth Apr. 25, 1933 2,033,020 White et al Mar. 3, 1936 2,332,642 Johnson Oct. 26. 1943 

